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How to Treat Anorexia Through Hypnotherapy

There are many types of therapies that a therapist, doctor or treatment center may utilize for patients with anorexia. Results are subjective and treatment may need to be altered over the course of time. Hypnotherapy is used to treat a variety of conditions, including anorexia. It consists of using hypnosis or a trance-like state to render patients highly sensitive to suggestion.

Things You'll Need

  • Hypnotherapist
  • Therapist
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Instructions

  1. Treat Anorexia Through a Variety of Therapies

    • 1

      Use assertiveness training to treat anorexia. Anorexics often need to learn how to set boundaries in their lives, standing up for themselves and identifying what they need.

    • 2

      Work through anorexia with behavioral-modification therapy. By learning the reasons for your behaviors and accepting the consequences, you can retrain yourself to perform healthy actions.

    • 3

      Seek cognitive therapy. Cognitive therapy examines your view of the world and highlights positive qualities that anorexics often overlook in themselves.

    • 4

      Discover the reasons for your behavior in insight-oriented therapy. This type of therapy helps anorexic patients to reveal the reasons for their actions and understand how to prevent them in the future.

    • 5

      Learn relaxation techniques. Many therapists suggest that patients with anorexia use relaxation techniques, such as warm baths, meditation or massage, to calm the stress response that accompanies anorexic behavior.

    • 6

      Be realistic about progress. Anorexia can develop quickly, but it takes time to adjust your psychological patterns and adopt healthy behaviors towards food and exercise.

    Use Hypnotherapy to Treat Anorexia

    • 7

      Find a licensed person to perform the hypnotherapy. For example, a psychotherapist, who specializes in eating-disorder treatment, may be able to help you.

    • 8

      Know what to expect from hypnotherapy. Once you are fully under hypnosis, your doctor will give you positive encouragement and provide you with the tools necessary to establish a better relationship with food and exercise.

    • 9

      Focus attention inward. Close your eyes and ignore external distractions.

    • 10

      Listen attentively to the hypnotherapist. You will initially be guided through a series of relaxation techniques, helping you to find the trance-like state of hypnosis.

    • 11

      Recognize that hypnotherapy can take several tries to produce results.

    • 12

      Repeat the hypnotherapy sessions. You can do so with your doctor or learn self-hypnosis.

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